3STTW

Not as bad as yours!

9 minutes ago, Pete70 said:

 

Yeah I invest extremely conservatively. I don't own shares or options or anything of the sort. I don't gamble.

 

The only reason I did this was because this was the single most highly trusted individual in my entire life. I would have trusted him with the life of my daughters for <deleted>'s sake.

I don’t believe you; you paid out serious money on a venture which most people wouldn’t regard as an investment - more like a wild bet. The outcome was almost inevitable.

No, you’re not a serious investor, you have a bad case of FOMO.

If you never trust anyone again, at least that’ll be one good outcome from this fiasco.

An acquaintance of mine got burned in a very similar manner about 4 years ago. He was working here and he had a professional colleague and longtime friend who was in Malaysia. The investment was mining equipment from Australia. 
Upshot: equipment ended up on a dock in somewhere in AP with incomplete paperwork, the Oz supplier went bankrupt, by the time his mate had paid all the custom charges to get equipment released, it had been butchered by the locals.

So my acquaintance in Thailand went after him legally because his mate was managing the deal. 
 

And got nowhere. Even with contracts and recorded transfers, literally nobody was interested.

They stood to make millions but it was a precarious venture at best, mainly because they relied on third parties to do the most important legwork.

Any ‘investment’ that looks too good to be true, probably is. And, as ever, never invest money that you are not prepared to lose.

Cut your losses and move on.

Edit: I forgot to mention that it was real mining equipment, not crypto nonsense.

Interesting, re: the palms, I rigged up a trigger mechanism for the Baygone spray and attached it to my telescopic pool pole and spent some time gassing the tree crowns. I sprayed it directly into the trees with the trunk holes because - why not - they're already sick. A week on and they're looking better - the new frond spikes are clean and 'unchewed'. But I know this is not a long term (or healthy) solution.

The lawn menace started last year when it got waterlogged during the rains. Our mower has a catch bucket and we dispose of the cuttings. In our last house the gardeners whip cut the lawns and left the cuttings, sure enough we ended up with a 'carpet' which you could lift up from the soil below. This one is couch and we try to cut it as often as the weather allows.

The fungus is a crust which I can rake out but it really destroys the grass cover, it grows back but crusty stuff comes back as well. I'm pretty sure this is a drainage problem too but I'm not sure how to fix it.

Do you have a photo of the EM product? I've tried asking staff in HomePro etc about various products but the vacant eyes and drool don't inspire much confidence.

@drtreelove, I apologise for the late response but thank you for all the really comprehensive information.

Given what you have said, we are probably going to cut down the pup, as much as I hate to do so, I don't want to risk any problems with the daddy and we would have trouble relocating the second tree anyhow. We are planning on a solar installation and the only viable locations for the tree are just going to shade the new panels in the future.

If I go ahead and cut the new fronds at ground level, what do I do to stop any further growth?

Regarding the fungal treatment, I could probably use some of this anyway; we have a weird 'matting' fungus which is spreading across our lawn and we're getting puff-ball mushrooms every time there's a thunderstorm - can I use the Trisan on my lawn?

One more issue, I have bugs eating my fox-tail palms at the crown. A couple of them have holes 3/4 up the trunk and are looking really sick, the others are producing half-eaten fronds. I climbed up one of the worst affected and cut away the dead material and found a bunch of larvae which I gassed with Baygone. It's sprung back to life although it's somewhat deformed due to the untreated infestation.

I've heard this is caused by some kind of beetle, can you advise on this and how to kill the little b*stards?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I was at Ocean Marina at the weekend and it was packed with tourists from BKK, pretty much all of them on boat parties and booze cruises. 

Holiday or not, they’ll travel around anyway, especially if they’ve booked the time off work already.

Seems to me, now all the governors and bigwigs have had their vaccinations, they’re all for opening up and getting all the bucks rolling in again. And it’s tough sh!t for all those who are unvaccinated.

I have a giant fan palm which is getting up beyond 10m in height and it has spawned a pup which is growing like crazy, it hasn't formed a trunk yet but the fronds are already 2.5m+ and it will eventually cause a problem for the big daddy.

Question is, can I dig it up and replant it elsewhere in the garden without killing it? Is there a method to doing this?

Cans++.

In LOS I've rarely drank a bottle of beer that tastes the same as the last one, Thai brewers' QC is appalling. Especially Chang, I bought a couple of cases of that Cold Brew a while back, the good bottles tasted great but at least five out of the dozen were either skunked, flat or tasted more like sherry than beer.

Oh dear, Mail.com blocked it too.

This is why, unlike the US citizens in TH, Brits aren't petitioning their embassy to supply vaccines;

Grin and bear it chaps. Obviously the FCO aren't taking this very seriously.

Yahoo mail red-flagged the address and wouldn't even let me send the request.

1 hour ago, Ireland32 said:

If a hotel starts booking directly after Wuhan Virus debut , the hotel apps will Drop that hotel immediately, they have contracts , you can’t be giving discounts at your hotel or you will be banished whenever I see an old timer saying you can book direct , you must be in a retirement home already , even hotels tell you to sit in lobby and book the hotel , don’t listen to dinosaur about travel in 21st century 

What a load of BS. I literally spent 1994 - 2016 traveling the globe, mostly staying in hotels. Yes, 16 years of which were in the 21st century.

The reason why these apps make money is because they rely on fools who are unable to develop personal working relationships with hotel groups and their subsidiaries. I can speak of numerous hotel managers who would rather not have anything to do with hotel booking sites/apps - yet they have to because these stupid apps have become ubiquitous. Then there's the relentless torment of unregulated 'review' sites which are populated by entitled wannabes who wanted 10x what they could afford.

Of all the hotels with whom I have made a direct booking, none of them have been "banished" in accordance with your silly, demented notion of the 21st century. In reality, they have been more than willing to accept my reservation and direct payment.

1 hour ago, pedro01 said:

 

Seriously?

 

You are going to pay Singapore costs to save you from having a courier come get your passport, then leave and return?

 

I see self sabotage, nothing more than that

You misunderstood. I cannot set up a business here under my current visa. However I can set up the same business in Singapore and retain my current visa status in TH. 

I would much prefer to establish the business here but that’s the way the government regulations work at this time.

In fact, tax wise, the costs are far less in Singapore. Setting up a business there takes a couple of days. In TH it takes 3 months for a BOI company.

Thailand just doesn’t have any incentive for entrepreneurs, both visa and tax wise, why would I bother?
 

XE Currency Pro, it doesn’t give you tourist rates but it’s a great ready reckoner for currency conversions.

I would steer clear of hotel booking apps, they may be convenient but you can easily end up paying 10-20% more than a direct booking.

2 minutes ago, Brierley said:

It is true that BOT has accumulated large Foreign Currency Reserves, over USD 150 billion. But those reserves don't belong to the banking system, their purpose is to guarantees export's and overseas trade, they are totally separate from the country's banking liquidity system so no, they are not included in the 20% I mentioned.

 

BOT did lend 900 billion baht to the government, from the Foreign Currency Reserves, this was to support covid relief. But it was a loan which has to be repaid, it's not a gift. The Foreign Currency Reserves do decrease from time to time if the BOT spends money on the FOREX markets to maintain the value of the Baht. BOT's job is to ensure exchange rates don't spike and cause sudden problems for exporters and they use the Foreign Currency Reserves to smooth these out.

 

.

Thanks, very informative.

2 hours ago, Brierley said:

Capital Adequacy is only as good as the central bank that overseas it. The percentage of deposits that can be loaned in that manner is regulated by the central banks, liquidity is also regulated according to Basel I, II and III. Additionally in Thailand BOT adds its own percentage on top of the Basel protocols. As I recall, Tier I liquidity levels are 20%, that means the banks must keep on hand, in liquid form, 20% of the value of their borrowings. That level is higher than most countries because of BOT rules. 

 

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/thailand/capital-adequacy-ratio

I'm not an expert but didn't the BOT amass huge amounts of foreign reserves post 1997 - hence the rising value of the Baht over recent years? Or is that included in the 20% liquidity.

Someone told me recently that Thailand had started drawing on those reserves, explaining the recent fall in the Baht. Could that be true?

34 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Again if anyone has any news or personal experiences that are directly relevant to helping the expat public get doses in Pattaya please do post.

 

My feeling now is that we are probably in waiting mode probably for  months.

 

It will be interesting and relevant to hear if the online bookings made for June are actually honored.

 

23 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes and unless there is major news or game changing personal experience reports sooner the main purpose of this thread might be as a placeholder for LATER. 

I would look at the situation forensically. Thailand has accepted the Sinovac knowing that it's efficacy is well below that of the western vaccines yet it does provide significant protection for it's front-line health workers.

As far as I know, the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have not been approved yet in TH - probably due to their storage temperature criteria. There will be an immediate and significant delay to the AZ vaccine due to the ongoing crisis in India - AZ's biggest producer.

However, Thailand has a vaccine production facility which is gearing up for AZV production, latest news suggests this is nearing completion and it would be reasonable to suspect that the Thai government would prefer this to be their main source because, like India, they can prioritise their own population.

In essence, there is a plan evolving and it requires some patience before we run around with spurious theories about preferential treatment.

28 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Oh stop!

I did!

No dice.

You clearly haven't even followed this.

You've voiced your opinion. You've attacked me personally. I think we're done.

It seems to me that every endeavour to explain the situation in a rational way has elicited an almost frantic, panicky response from you. You are not alone in your situation, I share very similar circumstances but I am prepared to keep calm and stay safe until I, and my family, have an opportunity to get vaccinated.

If you don't agree with me, that doesn't mean I attacked you personally. Disagreement = debate, and debate resolves problems - if you are prepared to listen.

I got stung badly about 8 months ago. I ordered an new printer on COD and forgot to tell the wifey. Anyhow, the 'printer' turned up while I was at the dentist and she paid the COD. Turned out to be a silicone phone case.

I went through the arbitration process and got my money back in the form of a voucher which I was free to spend on Lazada. I wasn't entirely happy about that but, what the hell, I'll buy a printer from a registered Lazada Mall trader.

But I couldn't use the voucher because I wasn't Thai, they cited some law excluding foreigners and that was that. The voucher expired and I lost my money.

Now, you need to remember that Lazada isn't Lazada anymore - it's Alibaba and has been for a few years now. Breathe in that information and remember it when you next click the 'BUY' button. You have almost zero chance of getting any recourse as you would expect from, say, Trading Standards in the UK.

Having said that, I still buy a lot of stuff from Lazibaba, but I stick to a set of traders that I know (Thaidee Home Mart are excellent) to whom I will pay by credit card. Other than that, it's small ticket items which I pay COD, I open the parcel at the gate before I pay the delivery guy.

Caveat emptor as they say.

Just now, Jingthing said:

The Thai government is strictly controlling the SUPPLY of vaccines to the private hospitals. It's my reading that they will also be controlling the timing including the POLITICS of the timing. Again, we shall see. 

I think that smacks of conspiracy theoretics. The Thai govt ain't stupid because they already recognise that general herd immunity cannot be achieved by race alone, this is why they announced that all foreigners would be included in the vaccination program.

Your problem seems to be where - and how high - your place is in the queue, and how you can increase your chances of an early vaccine. If you are 60+ and have health issues, I would suggest that you visit one of the private hospitals to try and get registered as a high-risk patient - along with the thousands of others trying to do the same thing.

3 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

The Hiso Thais would trample all over the cheap skate farangs in a heart beat

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes and based on my current reading of the situation Thais will likely have earlier access to paid vaccines at private hospitals BEFORE f-rangs.

I don't see that as being necessarily true; they are more likely to prioritise their customers who have insurance policies and are registered in their system. Remember, the world is watching and if any entity is seen to be price gouging on vaccines is headed for the naughty corner in a very public way.

Also remember that they haven't got the vaccines yet and won't have for some weeks. If they have obtained the distribution license then they have time to formulate their distribution policy. And I'm sure there will be more clarity in the weeks to come.

On 5/1/2021 at 11:33 PM, drtreelove said:

Yes.  

 

Attached article from "Home Guides" has some management info.

 

My approach, start with good soil and water management to build resistance to pests and diseases. Avoid high NPK chemical fertilizers and hard chemistry insecticides. Use COF (mineralized, slow release, complete organic fertilizer), be sure that your COF has a calcium component. )

Spray a botanical pest repellent weekly during pest activity season, like Azadirachtin (neem seed oil extract, repellent, anti-feedant, reproductive disruptor)  

บริษัท ผลิตภัณฑ์สะเดาไทย จำกัด : Inspired by LnwShop.com (thaineem.co.th)

 

 

 

 

How to Control Leaf Miners on a Tomato Plant.docx 15.75 kB · 0 downloads Bokashi fertilizer.docx 59.06 kB · 0 downloads

Brilliant mate, just what I was looking for. I've ordered a liter of the above so we should have it by the weekend - it may be too late to save the tomatoes unfortunately but we'll get planting again ASAP.

As for the bokashi, I checked the link but there doesn't seem to be anywhere to buy it, I checked the Totto website and it's not a listed product. In place of this I've ordered some Neem bean potting soil which I hope does the trick.

18 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

To add there is another potential great benefit of hearing a clear and official policy statement from the Thai government on their policy about high risk foreigners. If they did say we are definitely not going to include all high risk foreigners in the high risk earlier phase priority group, then expats would have a much stronger case to appeal our embassies for help. 

Really? Have you know idea how diplomacy works?

Say, for example, the UK government decided to fly in a bunch of vaccines for their expats in Thailand. In diplomatic speak this is the same as saying "Tut, tut you incompetent fools, your healthcare system is so bad that we have to fly out vaccines to inoculate our own citizens!"

It won't happen. And the UK Ambassador has said explicitly that expats will be vaccinated in accordance with the Thai distribution policy. Rightfully so.

Just stay at home, follow the rules and wait your turn.

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don’t believe that you need this spelled out.

 

If you're high risk time is of the essence.

I hear you but panicking won't improve the situation; statistically, your risk of catching COVID hasn't increased that much over the last three weeks - provided you take all the recommended precautions. The ratio of infections per capita is still extremely low (<0.003% per day).

So... sit tight and wait your turn.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That was long ago.

That was before this currently severe third wave.

That was before the recent announcement that the Thai government was not going to allow private hospitals to buy vaccines.

Why are you panicking? Read the last line of my post - everyone will get their vaccine eventually.

In the meantime just keep following your province's guidelines, <deleted>.